When you’ve been told there’s something abnormal with your child’s heart, just about the only thing you’re thinking about is finding out the cause of the abnormality and treating it as soon as possible. There is a multitude of heart-related medical tests to narrow down possible ailments, but one of the least invasive and effective procedures is called an echocardiogram.

No matter how kind and welcoming a doctor’s office is, it can be a pretty scary place for your little ones. Some children associate a medical office with needle pricks, scary noises, strange sights and weird smells. If your child is afraid of going to see the doctor, here are some ways that you can help your kids overcome their fear.

The most common birth defects in the world are unfortunately some of the most dangerous to babies. Congenital heart defects affect about 40,000 babies in the U.S. and Canada. The procedures to repair heart defects can range from simple to incredibly complex and potentially dangerous. However, Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children has an idea for how to practice delicate heart surgeries before opening up a baby’s chest.

Congenital heart disease is found in 8 out of every 1,000 newborn babies every year, and close to one million adults live with mild to severe congenital heart disease in the United States today. Congenital heart disease (also called a congenital heart defect), can present a range of symptoms, from fatigue and poor respiration to heart failure.

With the advances in modern medicine, however, congenital heart defects are easier to detect than ever, and can be treated through medication, internal stents, or open heart surgery. In some mild cases, the congenital heart defects will repair themselves or do not cause enough of an issue to need treatment.

Chest pain is very common in children and teenagers.In 94-99% of cases there is no underlying disease causing it and there is nothing wrong with the heart. In fact, the pain is not even coming from the heart.The pain is real; kids are not “faking” the pain.

Orthostatic hypotension is also known his postural hypotension and commonly known as a “head rush”.It is a situation that is quite common in both pediatrics and adults.It occurs when a person stands up from a sitting-down or lying-down position and the effect of gravity on the body causes about a half of a liter of blood to shift from the upper to the lower part of the body.

Vasovagal syncope or neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) is caused by a drop in blood pressure, quickly followed by faster then slower heart rate resulting in poor blood and oxygen flow to the brain which results in temporary loss of consciousness. Neurocardiogenic syncope is also referred to as neurally mediated syncope. It is also called fainting.

The physician receiving ECG results may question what these mean in some instances, what is significant and finally, what to do with the results. This is a brief review of the terminology and implications of ECG interpretations to assist providers in their decision making.

Intraventricular Conduction Delay

This is also known as conduction delay, IVCD, or incomplete right bundle branch block (iRBBB).